Pat Mora's Children's Books Biography

"Hooray! Today is our day, ¡El día de los niños! ¡Viva! Hoy es nuestro día. El día de los niños!" So begins Pat Mora's newest picture book, Book Fiesta! illustrated by Rafael López. Pat, an award-winning author of many children's books, enjoys writing for young readers, teens and adults. Recent books include Join Hands, Abuelos, and bilingual easy-reads Here Kitty, Kitty/¡Ven gatita, ven! and Sweet Dreams/¡Dulces sueños! from the series "My Family * Mi familia."

Her haiku collection about foods of the Americas, Yum! ¡Mmm! ¡Qué Rico!, won the Américas Award and was an ALA Notable. Doña Flor: A Tall Tale about a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart, an ALA Notable which received a Pura Belpré Author Honor Award and a Golden Kite Award from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

A literacy advocate excited about sharing what she calls "bookjoy," Pat founded the family literacy initiative, El día de los niños / El día de los libros, Children's Day / Book Day ("Día") , now housed at the American Library Association. The year-long commitment to daily linking all children to books, languages and cultures culminates in celebrations across the country on or near April 30th. Book Fiesta captures and promotes the Día spirit.

Pat is a popular national speaker shaped by the U.S.-Mexico border where she was born and spent much of her life. She speaks often at conferences, universities, and schools about her books, literacy, and leadership.

Her honors include Honorary Doctorates from North Carolina State University and SUNY Buffalo, Honorary Membership in the American Library Association, a Civitella Ranieri Fellowship to write in Umbria, Italy; and a Visiting Carruthers Chair at the University of New Mexico. She was a recipient and judge of a Poetry Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and a recipient and advisor of the Kellogg National Leadership Fellowships.

A former consultant, museum director, university administrator, teacher, and the mother of three adult children, Pat enjoys family/friend time, reading, gardening, cooking, museums, and nature's wonders when she travels and when she returns home to beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico.